Mount Royal University signs the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)
On Thursday, March 27 2025, Mount Royal University became a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). Signed by over 25,000 individuals and organizations in 165 countries to date, DORA is a global initiative to encourage the development and promotion of best practices in evaluation of scholarly research.
The principles outlined in DORA align with MRU’s 2030 Research and Scholarship Plan - considering the value and impact of all research outputs, assessing research on its own merits, and contemplating a broad range of impact measures beyond journal impact factors. Mount Royal’s approach to research and scholarship is already well aligned with DORA and signing on reflects the strategic direction for research excellence that Mount Royal is founded on. As a signatory to DORA Dr. Connie Van der Byl, the Associate Vice-President, Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement at MRU, said: "Signing on to DORA demonstrates Mount Royal University’s commitment to responsible and comprehensive assessment of research while also supporting the diversity, impact and quality of our research and scholarly activity."
Informed by ongoing dialogue with faculty, staff and students who are involved in research and research-enabling activities, a Research and Scholarship Committee (RSC) Working Group will provide ongoing consideration of MRU’s commitment to DORA. To read the declaration in full, please visit the DORA website.
